Twenty -Eight Inches of Ribbing

My Socks for Soldiers socks are finally complete. Not only did they have a total of 28 inches of ribbing, I misread the pattern and had to frog 2" from the foot of each sock. All for a worthy cause. I plan to make the next pair more quickly and more efficiently.

Details:
Pattern: Socks for Soldiers (see sidebar)
Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Stretch Uni/Solid) in 0099 Black, 134.5 g.
Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm.) for cast-on and 1st 3 rounds, US 0 (2.00 mm.) for the heels and US 1 (2.25 mm.) for the rest of the sock. The new pattern uses the 0 needles for the bottom of the leg and the toes as well, so those planning to make these should be sure they're using the most up to date pattern.
Size: 11.25" long at the foot, after machine washing and drying, for a man's size 12 shoe
Begun: June, 2007
Completed: August 30, 2008

Hiiumaa Socks

Hiiumaa Mismatched Mates Socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. Mine, however will match. I started these last year when they were the monthly sock for the Knitting on the Road KAL (sidebar). They're a little big so I lost interest but I think I'll finish them rather than frog them. I like how the marled yarn makes indistinct stripes.

I'm using Lang Yarns Jawoll Superwash Solid in Navy (#83.0025) for the main sections and Lana Grossa Meilenweit in blue/navy marl (#1299) for the stripes on size 2.25 mm (US 1) needles.

Waving Lace

Evelyn Clark's Waving Lace Socks from Interweave Knits, Spring 2004. The pattern has been reissued in Favorite Socks. The color is more accurate in the full sized picture but the heel photo shows the details nicely. This was fun to knit because the pattern could be memorized so I wasn't chained to the chart but it had enough detail to keep my interest.

I used cotton yarn but the lack of memory even with the partial wool content created fit problems. I solved these by going down to a size 00 needle (and trying not to impale myself or anyone else) for the ankle, the heel and the instep. When I reached the widest part of the foot I reverted to a size 0 needle and returned again to the 00 needles for the toes. I adjusted the decreases to match my wide toe box.














Details
Pattern: Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn Clark
Yarn:Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Cotton in color 54, a denim blue. I used 93.5 grams of a 100 gram ball and felt as though I were running on fumes at the end.
Size: To fit my size 9 foot.
Needles: Crystal Palace 2.0 mm (US 0) for the leg until the ankle and the foot between the instep and the toe. Susan Bates US size 00 for the ankle, heel, instep and toe.
Dates: 4/3/07 - 5/2/08
Modifications: A slipped stitch instep and the needle and toe revisions described above.

Shell Socks

I knit these socks for my mom whose feet are almost always cold.




Details
Yarn: Schaffhauser Sport- und Sockinwolle in white (no. 19) 72 g total; and Lang Jawol reinforcement in white used on the toes only.
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo dpns 2.0 mm. (US 0) except for a size 3.25 mm. (US 3) for the cast on.
Pattern: Child's First Socks in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks.
Gauge: I didn't record it.
Size: To fit a woman's size 8.5
Begun: 1/1/07
Completed: 2/24/08
Notes: No Modifications. The yarn was soft, the socks are warm and the pattern was a fun knit.

Jaywalkers Finally

I think these were destined to be WIPs forever. I started the first sock at least three times trying to get the size right and did three heels. I even broke a Brittany Birch dpn along the way just to add to my fun. Then I let the second languish before getting around to completing them.

Because of my narrow heel I'm not a big fan of flap heels on socks so I made these with a short row heel. The short bursts of color on the Lisa Souza yarn went perfectly with the short up and down sections of the sock.

Details:
Yarn: Sock! from Lisa Souza in mahogany, 84.2 g. total.
Needles:Inox dpns, 2.25 mm. (US 1) for the leg and foot, 2.0 mm. (US 0) for the heels and toes.
Pattern:Jaywalker from the incomparable Grumperina.
Size: To fit a woman's size 9.
Begun: 11/05
Completed: 11/07
Notes: I used a slipped stitch sole and a short row heel. I also made the toe boxier to fit my wide foot.

Cabletinis in Stripes

These are Wendy Johnson's Cabletini socks which is a free downloadable pattern available here.

Yarn: Schachenmayr Nomotta Regia Silk Color in white with blues (number 0191)
Needles: KA 6" dpns in size 2.0 mm (US 0)
Modifications: These were knit from the toes up using a Turkish cast on and a short row heel. I also reversed the direction of the cables on the second sock so that they are mirror images of one another.
Begun: Oct. 5, 2007
Completed April 21, 2008
Comments: I loved the the softness of the yarn. It was a pleasure to knit with. And I loved the needles--they were sharp, smooth, strong and short. I'll definitely be buying more of these needles. This was a fun pattern to make because it was easy to memorize but the cables required me to pay attention. They were perfect airplane/airport knitting.

Dalarna Socks

The Dalarna socks for the Knitting on the Road KAL. This was the pattern chosen by the members for February and March of 2007 and I actually completed my socks on time. Yes, my feet really are that big.

Pattern: Dalarna from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Dale of Norway Falk , which isn't a sock yarn but was the closest I had to the Guernsey yarn called for. I used 147 g. of color 3841, which appears to be naturally colored, not dyed. I tried adding reinforcement thread to the heel flap but it made the fabric too stiff so I settled on using a smaller needle instead.

Needles: 2.5 mm (US 1 1/2) rosewood for the main part of the sock; 2.25 mm. (US 1) for the heels .

Gauge: 7 stitches per inch on size 2.5 mm.

Modifications: I had to adjust for the different gauge, did 6 rather than 4 decreases down the calf and added the 4 decreased stitches back in at the top of the heel flap. I made a wedge toe rather than the toe called for in the pattern.

Size: To fit a woman's size 9 medium foot.

Helpful Hint: When working the decorative cuff with two strands, don't break the extra strand until you done both sections; just carry the extra strand down the ribbing section. This leaves you with two fewer ends to weave in.

Below is a closeup of the top showing the decorative edge:


Next is a closeup of the foot:


These are very thick and warm. I liked the pattern and will probably make it again with a thinner yarn.

Log Cabin Socks

The Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick was one of my favorite knits of 2006. I made them as my project for our Knit the Classics (see link in the sidebar) December selection--A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Via ebay I managed to acquire 3 skeins of the yarn called for in the pattern--Rowan Cork-- which is now, unfortunately, out of production.

These socks are soft, warm and extremely thick. They were a wonderful comfort to wear when I was recovering from Rotator Cuff Repair surgery in January 2007 during our "cold snap."

I hope to make these again in another chunky yarn such as Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky although I suspect that the DB will create a much softer and "floppier" sock.

Stats: Rowan Cork in color 046 (Horizon), 2 1/2 50 gram balls.

Modifications: I continued the ribbing down the toe as suggested in someone else's blog (I'll edit this to add a link if I can find the source) and lengthened the foot to fit me.

Helpful Hint: Cork has great yardage so anyone who wants to substitute a different yarn will most likely need more than 150 g. of yarn to insure that enough yardage is purchased.